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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. date — the fruit
  3. lean — to bend
  4. court — of law
  5. lean — thin
  6. court — of a king
  7. court — for sport
  8. mug — to rob
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. mug — a face
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. track — to keep track
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. track — a song
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. squash — to crush
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. mug — a cup
  23. squash — the sport
  24. date — on the calendar

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com